So close, more composure in the Aus 20m zone and England could have won it, thought Gale threw some shocking passes in the second half (panic mode), all the effort wasted far too many times when near the Aus line (agree about Burgess) thought Lockers was miss for his calming influence and knitting play between the forwards and backs.

Probably a worse defeat for being so close and Aus were there for the taking in the second half - the only difference for me was they were much smarter on last tackle plays.

So close, more composure in the Aus 20m zone and England could have won it, thought Gale threw some shocking passes in the second half (panic mode), all the effort wasted far too many times when near the Aus line (agree about Burgess) thought Lockers was miss for his calming influence and knitting play between the forwards and backs.

Probably a worse defeat for being so close and Aus were there for the taking in the second half - the only difference for me was they were much smarter on last tackle plays.

For a defeat, it was enjoyable but it’s not right to refer to Lockers missing when they were without Thurston and Inglis! Apart from a few kicks Gale was awful. Knock ons, poor passing and giving soft penalties away. Our forwards matched them but our 6 & 7 were a million miles behind. To be honest, we never looked like scoring!!

Thought we had a good dig. Lockers may well have proved the difference

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For a defeat, it was enjoyable but it’s not right to refer to Lockers missing when they were without Thurston and Inglis! Apart from a few kicks Gale was awful. Knock ons, poor passing and giving soft penalties away. Our forwards matched them but our 6 & 7 were a million miles behind. To be honest, we never looked like scoring!!

And for me that is why we missed Lockers (who had played through the tournament and was apparently close to being available so it is a valid argument to say we missed him unlike the players you mention who take no part in the games prior) he helps the halves - Sam Burgess is a strong runner and tacklers but does not have the same linking abilities. We were crying out for some control/leadership in the attacking third.

Really enjoyed it although was utterly frustrated with the way the Aussies controlled our attack. Watkins, S Burgess, Widdopp and Graham were superb today and ran their blood to water as the Rugby analogy goes. Heightington was good when he came on also, really gave us some grunt and Lomax had a good dig when he came on. Tom Burgess and Luke Gale should have stayed at home. They have proved all tournament that they are not international standard. Luke Gale especially. Far too weak and the council cuts his hair. T Burgess is a monster and a powerful man but if you can't keep hold of the ball you are in the wrong game. Brown was also very poor today and as someone has already stated our halves are a million miles from the Aussie halves. If we had good kicking options and more strength at 6 and 7 we win that game all day long. Let's hope Williams and (an)other start to fulfill that potential. We need skillful halves with a good kicking game and a bit of bulk about them to be able to match the Australia's of this world.

with a hull fc hat on, would have like to have sneyd given at least a chance, hes the best kicker in the comp and plays big games well, also for me shaul derserved a go, pace to burn and backs up well, also imo Williams should be given a chance, might not make a difference but we just play the same players in our weakest postions

I'm still scratching my head at why Bennett thinks Bateman is the 2nd best English centre - its as clear as day that he prefers to run at opposition rather than round them. Its made all the more baffling that when SOL is injured and a place in the pack becomes available, he still plays him at centre!

One thing is for sure - Oliver Gildart and Tony Gelling wont be worried about competition from Bateman for their position at Wigan!

I'm still scratching my head at why Bennett thinks Bateman is the 2nd best English centre - its as clear as day that he prefers to run at opposition rather than round them. Its made all the more baffling that when SOL is injured and a place in the pack becomes available, he still plays him at centre!

One thing is for sure - Oliver Gildart and Tony Gelling wont be worried about competition from Bateman for their position at Wigan!

Attacking wise he is not even top 10 but in defence he would be one of the best. He was in to shut down Australia attack on his side. Something he did very well.

Attacking wise he is not even top 10 but in defence he would be one of the best. He was in to shut down Australia attack on his side. Something he did very well.

Correct. Bateman did well considering the flack he got for something beyond his control. Cudjoe would have been a lot more effective going forward though and is just as good if not better in defence. Don't know if he is injured but never heard his name mentioned once. Was all about Percival and Shenton who are both liabilities in defence and would have made things worse. MOS Luke Gale probably gets the wooden spoon award for performances for England because he offered the square root of sod all. I wouldn't have liked to have risked another Cas player purely on their Hollywood style of play last season on that basis with the exception of Hardaker who will soon be propping up the dole queue.

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